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12 Days

December 15, 2011

Phew, okay, an xmas-themed xomic is now finished, so set aside 400 hours to plow through it some time. New comic over at Cracked this month as well, complete with Over The Top Comments Section for maximum entertainment value.

So that’s it for now; i’d like to appear here again before the end of the year, but in the event that i don’t, please do have a nice christmas and a very fine holiday season in general, and i’ll surely see you sometime soon.

-Wr

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This entry was posted on December 15, 2011 at 9:08 pm and is filed under Subnormality.

142 Responses to “12 Days”

THAT was great. I loved Sphinxie’s gift-determination method (especially the resulting headlines!). Reminded me of when she figured out the capital of Spain. For a flesh-eating mythological monster, she’s laudably rational.

You are the best. I really love watching this relationship develop; as a prickly, aggressively unfriendly person myself, I am very fond of the Sphinx, and as someone who can’t seem to grow up and not have a parade of crappy jobs, I like the Pink-Haired Girl just oodles.

Long time fan here, but I think this is my first time leaving a comment. I’ve read everything in the Subnormality archives, and some of your other work, too. This comic was perfect. I guess I’m a little dense, but I didn’t figure out the 12 Days theme until I read the alt text after I was done with the comic. But this is perhaps my favorite holiday spoof ever. As Sis said, it reminded me of the Madrid question comic as well! Really, thanks for drawing Subnormality and for sharing it. I look forward to reading it as often as you put it out. 😄

And for the sphinx PHG gets her a voice dictation system connected to a web browser. Say hello to google, wikipedia and anomaly while interacting with the masses. Considering the addictive nature of both, the death toll will probably decrease too.

also, i was just comparing the comments section on cracked to this comment section. I can’t believe it took me this long but i just realised that the people on who write in cracked comments sections are insane.

At some point in this universe, someone will create the word ‘sphynxshit’. As in ‘she came here and yet I am not sphynxshit’. Or ‘The sphynx wants to interview you but not for future sphynxshit’. Those poor people who helped, who are professionally helpful, and no doubt found that professionalism tested to the limit.

A December calendar in the last panel, with the memorial parkette, with Sphinx and PHG, on the 25th lot, ‘boxes’ on the 26th, and ‘EVE’ on the 31st. Does it say ‘solstice’ on the 21st?
Great comix as usual Winston.

Also, am I the only one that noticed the prevalence of the ‘explaining hands’? There’s one in almost every panel?
Were you doing this on purpose? I’m tempted to think so, since every detail is always so meticulously planned.

In other news, EXCELLENT work as usual. What a fuckload of work. Every time. Your conversational tones, the developing relationship, the tones per character are perfect, observations and considerations…..Wonderful. You deserve $320.000,00 per episode. I wish i could give you that.

Was chatting with some people this evening and willfully restrained myself from asking “what do you do?” or words to that effect, thinking about this strip. And had probably a more interesting conversation than the one that would have begun that way.

Absolutely brilliant and funny and logical and well-thought out and warm and touching… thank you for the Sphynxmas present. It’s just what I wanted, especially because I didn’t even realize that I wanted it🙂

Loved this one. Probably the best Christmas comic from all the comic websites I read or will read this year.😀
Heart warming.
(Is there a previous xmas comic the Sphinx mentions that I forgot about or did that just happened off-panel?)

A phenomenal print to have would be the first panel by itself, the pedestians fleeing, NLPHG walking calmly in her pale jacket and her boots. Or for that matter any of a number of panels here as prints.

WOW! Will you marry me?? The author of this strip has such incredible emotional intelligence! Someone who REALLY GETS IT!! This is hardly the first time I’ve thought so, but it just staggers me that one person can so thoroughly understand so many important human issues so well. Lots of smart people are emotionally uninvolved and lacking in compassion, but you are the real deal man! Merry Christmas and to all a good night!

I also feel that this may be your best strip yet. The Sphinx is my favorite anyway, but this one just had me guffawing throughout. Her character has so much integrity and believability, and yet is so plausibly alien. And I am self-satisfied that I got the “twelve days” as they were going on, without the aid of alt text.

The only minor flaw is that I want to share this with everyone I know, and I can’t without having them read about twenty specific previous strips first. I’ll manage.

Initial comic story arc was strangley applicable to me and has actually helped me make a big decision. Remainder, not so much, but good as always! Have a happy Newton’s Birthday Winton (Something everyone can celebrate by giving and eating things with gravitational mass) and I hope everyone has a great couple of days and spares a thought for us poor shlubs who have to work on Christmas.

Great comic as always. I was going to take “offense” to some of the ways you spelled things, then I rememebered you are canadian. Hence, more of the french lean in the english. It’s much more “brusque” around here, what with people spelling things like offense, and checks and whatnot. Oddly enough, I usually spell things like “armour” and “colour” myself. Fairly sure we all have a common bond somewhere far back enough.

Longtime reader, first time commenting, just looking at the pictures before I read Sphynx’s explanation I was laughing out loud. And “For me, Christmas definitely involves going to a lot of trouble for someone and automatically not thinking of it as a lot of trouble.” just so neatly wraps the whole thing up in a nutshell, I had to say something.

Thanks for putting a smile on my face as I take a break from going to a lot of trouble for people!

Merry Christmas also from thoses who don’t read filenames but use an old firefox which forces them to read Alt-Text in the source. So call me a maniac out for World Domination, but I defenitely will Control You in the Future 2!

Ohmanohman so late commenting but PHG and Sphynx comic is the best Christmas present ever. The Sphynx’s expressions always kill me, and the little miniature self-contained 12-days comic is too precious for words.

I love playing “find what you missed the first two or three reads, dummy” and noticing all the little extra details like the calendar in the final panel and stuff, too. So much work aaa!

Merry…whatever you celebrate Winston. Hope the coming year treats you and your many personas well.

I considered becoming a flight attendant, as my boyfriend has recently started traveling for business, and is away from home more often than not. I figure becoming a waitress will be more depressing but ultimately less stressful…tips would be nice too, but I’m not holding my breath.

If pink-haired-girl can fight her apathy enough to find work, I suppose I can too.

This is beautiful. I laughed uncontrollably at the description of the library staff, and was close to tears by the time you got to “we fully just had Christmas.” You managed to skewer the consumerist haze and encapsulate the most meaningful parts of my favorite holiday (free shit from people you like) at the same time. Excellent, excellent work.

i come here now and then to read the comics. first time to post, and i have to just share that these comics actuly on certain ocasions like this one turn my day around into something awesome. anyway i have no clue if you read these or what but anyway keep on making these comics because im selfish and i would miss them. rock on winston, you create what i would call the best kind of art. (the kind that makes you think). thanks winston! adios, Doyle

I’ve been reading this for about three years now and have wanted to leave a comment along the lines of, hey man, this shit’s amazing, keep it up! but always felt a bit like a douche so never did. i read the the comments and agree with them but still feel not cool enough or clever enough or litererate enough or whatever to even say i agree with them but tonight im drunk so fuck it. i just spent two years training to do a job i think i want and basically feel exactly like the PHG. Except now i wished i had a friend who would consider it no trouble to go to all the trouble that the sphinx went to. WR, you are a lengend, and somehow you make me feel less lonely and more yearning for friendship than i ever would have thought possible. If you ever fancy a pint in essex (in england) i’ll happily shout you one. Take care, take it easy, and happy new year, k
ps, the sci-fi comix are fucking amazing. just saying.

I have read every Virus Comix for the last two years or so, but this is probably the best I have ever seen. Thanks for bringing a little joy and laughter into my life. I love the sarcasm and wit, it just nails modern life.

These comics keep reminding me, that when I am legal (I’m 17) I really need to send you the donations you deserve, and I’m not just saying that, I enjoy your work for the great aspects you put in them, especially the growing relationship between PHG and the Sphinx and exploring in depth both of their personal traits, you defiantly make you audience happy with such wordy comix, you deserve a great deal more in recognition for your work than most people can seem to realize, but then again I’m a 17 year so what should I know, all in all great comic, great series of comics and please do keep up the good work.

Did she really hugged her in the last panel? Just wondering. I think the friendship between those two is one of the most compelling and original relationships ever, I love each them, but together they are pure magic.

Was the mouseover text SUPPOSED to make me break out in song? (It totally did.)
I… kind of love these comics of yours, you know. They – make me think, and that’s pretty much what I hope to do with whatever stories I write. They’re pretty much fantastic.
I also love the building friendship between the Sphynx and the Pink Haired Girl over the course of the strips, and the wall-o’-text method you use – the only reason I skim over ANY of the words is because I read them a year or two ago and I wanted to read all the ones with Sphynx and Pink Haired Girl in them.
It makes me want to paint, draw, write, do something fucking creative in what stolen moments of free time I can grab – even though they’re mine to begin with. Uh. Wow, I just realised that it’s June and I’m commenting on a Christmas strip. Huh. Probably cause this one is awesome… but hey.
Keep doing what makes you happy – or start doing it, I guess… unless it hurts people or something, in which case feel free to be miserable? Unless that’s really annoying and causes problems in consumer-land…
Anyway. Have a lovely, lovely time in the plane of existence you are currently inhabiting, however long you remain there, people that I probably will never see or talk to ever again, but will remain in my memories always – unless I get Alzheimer’s or amnesia, that first one’s been in my family, or maybe that dementia one, are they separate?
Wow I’m surprised you got this far, but you’re reading the comments section of a webcomic that uses the wall-o’-text maneuver to such great effect. Or writing said webcomic, whichever.
Hmm. I think I’ll go follow some awesome (hopefully) creative pursuits now, thank you. Am considering faking whatever details I put below; how would it change anything? If you can answer accurately I will be creeped out.
Cheers!

Just amazing and heartwarming. I’ve spent the last week reading every single comic you’ve wrote. My mom is studying buddhism and read that everyone needs a master to reach enlightenment, but there’s people like you online that can help people move through difficulties they may face within their own characters (mine being ego and this damned judgemental quality). Just amazing. You inspire me to push onward doing my art and make me proud to be a canadian when it’s usually hard to do so looking around at my oil sucking province and it’s quietly submissive residents. Thanks again, I’m going to send my thoughts out to the universe that I can be blessed enough to share a conversation with you some day.